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Review of The Vampires Tarot of the Eternal Night

This article was written by Barbara Moore on November 30, -0001 posted under

Summary:The theme of vampires lends itself to the shadowy aspects of human experiences. The Tarot, by its nature, sheds light in the darkness. This deck, with its dual nature, helps us explore the darkness, whether within or around us, while shining the light of truth where we need it most. Based on the RWS tradition, this deck is very readable, yet gives a fresh—if sometimes dangerous, sexy, or complex—voice to familiar cards.

In-Depth Review:Vampires have evolved in our collective consciousness and creative imaginations from the wretched, disgusting monster of folklore to the current very dangerous but also very sexy sophisticated man of the world. This deck practically oozes sophistication, sex appeal, and danger. It also presents its share of the monstrous, the tragic, and dreadful. All seventy-eight cards work together to create to world that is complex and fascinating. Each vampire pictured has a story, depth, and interest. We find much to fear, much to empathize with, and much to sorrow for.

The art reflects all this as each card looks like nothing less than a still from a wonderfully produced movie. There are some people who find the many languages and wide borders on most Lo Scarabeo cards distracting. The talented designers there made sure that this particular deck was handled differently. The cards are designed with small borders and no languages. The Major Arcana cards are numbered only, the Minors have a number and suit designator, and the court cards have symbols representing the suit and rank. There is very little to compete with the art, allowing for a very visual experience. In addition, the cards all seem to be snapshots from the same movie. That is not to say they all look the same. On the contrary, there is great variety in the characters and settings. But they all have the same feel, which makes it very easy to weave the images together into a story. This makes the art of interpreting a spread very enjoyable and interesting.

Because the images flow together very naturally, interpretations happen with surprising ease. Although based on traditional RWS images, the cards are viewed from a very different lens, giving us fresh ways of thinking about the cards. Because the cards are illustrated from the point of view of the vampire, it is up to the reader to interpret the cards in a way relevant to human life. The readings are more archetypal, allegorical, and metaphorical. The lack of words on the cards enhances this experience. The deck achieves a wonderful balance between structure and innovation. Readings depend on equal amounts of logic and of a more intuitive response.

The deck comes in a kit as well. The kit box is sturdy with a nice magnetic closure. A full-sized, full-color book by Barbara Moore is included. Each card is examined from a dark, a human, and a light approach. The dark approach is the shadow side of the card and the light approach is a more spiritual aspect. In addition, there is a little section called "The Vampire’s Story" for each card, providing a little story prompt to inspire the imagination. For the court cards, the story is a brief bit of monologue as if spoken by the character in the card.

There are the usual directions for how to perform a reading and a variety of spreads. But there is also a bit of fun. Vampires are nothing if not dramatic and theatrical, so there is a short section of ideas for hosting a vampire-themed party. Everything in that section is meant for entertainment but one never knows what kind of truth will emerge in the midst of a joke.

To end on a more serious and practical note, the book shares ideas for journaling with this deck. Because of the focus on the darker aspect of situations and feelings, The Vampires Tarot of the Eternal Night is ideal for shadow work and personal exploration.

Deck AttributesName of deck:The Vampires Tarot of the Eternal Night Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
ISBN: Deck: 978-0738719290
Kit: 9780738719337
Creator’s name: Davide Corsi
Brief biography of creator(s): Davide Corsi is the artist for the Tarot of the Elves and the Pictorial Key TarotArtist’s name: Davide Corsi
Name of accompanying book/booklet:The Vampires Tarot of the Eternal Night Number of pages of book/booklet: book: 160 pp. booklet: 63 (14 in English)
Author of book/booklet:: Barbara Moore
Brief biography of author: Moore is a respected expert Tarot reader, writer, and lecturer.
Available in a boxed kit?: Yes
If yes, are there extras in the kit? What are they?: The full-sized, 160-page book by Barbara Moore.
Reading Uses: General, karma, past lives, shadow work
Artistic Style: Realism
Original Medium: Computer-generated
Theme: Vampires
Tarot, Divination Deck, Other: Tarot
Does it have extra cards: No
Does it have alternate names for Major Arcana cards?: No
Does it have alternate names for Minor Arcana suits?: No
Does it have alternate names for the Court Cards?: No
Why was deck created?: To explore the Tarot archetypes through the lore of vampires and to explore the darker side of the human experience
Alternative decks you might like: The Gothic Tarot of Vampires
The Necronomicon Tarot
The Tarot of the Elves
Pictorial Key Tarot

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